Sunday, December 6, 2009

The Passing of a Matriarch

Janie Jefferson Porter

My Great aunt was the youngest of 22 children born in 1922 to Sussex and Louvenia Jefferson.

Our family name Jefferson originates from the Thomas Jefferson plantation in Virginia.Some of the Jefferson children left the south in search of better opportunities, aunt Janie settled in Chicago as a domestic until her retirement in 1977. Now you're beginning to see the tradition I speak of relating to Old School Brand Laundry Soap. You could eat off Aunt Janie's floors! She took great pride in her work much to the dismay of her children. When Aunt Janie would start to hum old negro spirituals, it was a sign that it was cleaning day! Just in case you didn't get the message that she meant business, the humming would escalate, then she would be standing outside your bedroom door announcing in the tone of a preacher that it was time to get up and get busy. You know the term, cleanliness is next to godliness! Aunt Janie was the queen of clean and mean! I think her furniture is still covered in plastic.I never understood that, because the covers never came off even for "company"! There were the good set of dishes and the everyday set? Then there was the voice she used in the presence of company and the voice she used when we were alone. I could always tell who was on the phone by the tone of voice my aunt used. The tone would be an octave higher for strangers like teachers or bill collectors. We kids knew when to take advantage of "company" being over by asking for something which under normal circumstances would be a "NO"! Asking in front of company would get an under the breath yes, just to get rid of us! Later we would pay dearly for the interruption.

Aunt Janie and her famous collard's

Aunt Janie lived fully her 97 years and had the privilege to vote for the first African American President in her lifetime. I can only imagine the world aunt Janie saw and experienced through Jim crow, and the civil rights movement.

The tradition continues through our sharing stories with each other and our children. Aunt Janie would approve of Old School Brand, it's all about the clean!! By the way, my aunt hung her clothes out on the line! I appreciate Aunt Janies wisdom, nurturing, and putting the fear of God in us! I think we turned out just fine!

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OLD SCHOOL BRAND LAUNDRY SOAP

A passed down tradition! A little goes a long way! No bubbles, no dyes, no lye! EARTH FRIENDLY

Hard Working laundry soap that cuts to the chase of clean!!

My soap is concentrated which requires less packaging, less water and less energy! Old School Brand is amazing for hand washing, all machines and all temperatures!
One bag is $10.00 for up to 32 loads of laundry!
Now go ahead and hang your laundry out to dry, feel the Old School freshness that will bring back memories of a slower paced lifestyle.
Thank you for choosing Old School Brand!

Renee's take on design...

Inspired by Emma Goldman's quote, "I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck", I founded Urbanscapes a landscape design company in 1996 servicing the Los Angeles area.
My specialty is drought tolerant gardens. I have always thought L.A. to be a desert thus creating gardens that thrive in our arid landscape. With each project my goal is to create master plans utilizing my reduce, reuse and recycle philosophy of conservation.
Since the formation of Urbanscapes I have created a few other sustainable design concepts, Rumplesacs, a reusable shopping bag line, Reconstruction, a found objects jewelry line, and of course Old School Brand Laundry Soap, an amazing laundry soap that really get's your clothes refreshingly clean with no junk added!
These projects are but a few ways I give back to community.
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